Do Not Fear

(Our Theme for June)

John 14:27 - Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

There are plenty of things that trouble our hearts and cause us to be afraid in our modern world. In fact, we can make quite a long list: political unrest and war across the globe, natural disasters, climate change, pandemics, and that’s just the top of the list.

Then there are the more specific fears we experience at different points in our lives. As students, we fear failure or embarrassment if we don’t measure up to parents’ and teachers’ expectations. We fear making mistakes and looking foolish.

As parents, every stage of our children’s lives brings its own fears: will my baby be healthy, will my child make friends and do well in school, will my teen-ager make good choices and remain safe?

As older adults we may fear being lonely or ill and unable to maintain independence.

These are all natural and common fears we face. 

However, when you stop to think about it, does holding and feeding these fears ever affect the outcome? In spite of our best efforts, we may find ourselves in the middle of a tornado, our teen-agers may make one poor choice that endangers their lives, we may become ill and need assistance from family or friends.

Our fears do not prevent anything; they just keep our hearts and minds in turmoil.

We cannot make ourselves never experience fear, but we can remember that Jesus gives us the great gift of peace of mind through his unfailing love and grace. We can release our fears to Him so that our hearts are not troubled. 

I admit that I am sometimes overcome by the anxiety that modern times induce. If I read the news, if I listen to others who focus on all the wrongs they see in the world, then I become afraid. Once I was sharing some of my fears with my eldest daughter, and her response reflects the essence of this Bible verse. “It’s going to be okay, Mom. You know how the story ends.” I do know how the story ends. Jesus gives us peace in this world and the gift of eternal life with Him. It’s a perfect, happy ending.

Let us pray.

Father, help us to let go of our fears and live in your peace. We know that we have no reason to fear because of your ultimate gift of eternal life, which is the perfect ending. Amen.

Today’s devotional was written by Pat Scruggs and read by Greta Smith.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.